Behind the Bastards – Part One: Dr. Sleep: The Australian Psychiatrist Who Made People Sleep Themselves To Death

Podcast: Behind the Bastards (Cool Zone Media / iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Robert Evans
Guest: Gabe Dunn
Date: March 3, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode investigates Dr. Harry Bailey, an Australian psychiatrist who became infamous for his use of “deep sleep therapy” – a treatment where patients were forcibly sedated, leading ultimately to the deaths of many in his care. Robert Evans and guest Gabe Dunn unpack Bailey’s background, the disturbing history of psychiatric care in the West, the development and misuse of sedation therapy, and the perverse financial incentives that shaped Chelmsford Private Hospital. The discussion is darkly humorous, rich in historical context, and deeply skeptical about medical authority.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Context

• Robert’s Location: Robert records from New Orleans rather than his usual Portland, setting a slightly off-kilter, humorous tone.
• Guest Intro: Gabe Dunn, writer/activist/podcast host, shares excitement about joining the show (00:42–01:20).
• Podcast Banter: Lighthearted jokes about umbrella culture, New Orleans, and anti-ICE activism set the conversational, irreverent tone.

2. Dr. Sleep: Dr. Harry Bailey’s Rise (06:47–20:18)

• Listener-Suggested Topic: Episode was inspired by a detailed fan submission about Bailey, who “made people sleep themselves to death” (08:00).
• Harry Bailey’s Early Life: Born 1922, working-class upbringing in Picton, NSW. Struggled financially, dropped out of school twice due to money (11:14–14:42).
• Medical Aspirations: Eventually completed his medical degree, excelled in psychiatry and pediatrics, winning awards quickly (16:48).
• Motivation: Early poverty seems to have instilled a desire for wealth and success, fueling later ethical lapses (15:08).

3. The State of Psychiatry: 20th Century “Care” (27:23–31:56)

• Historical Asylum Conditions: Early Australian asylums were brutal warehouses for anyone deemed unfit; “treatment” barely existed (28:12–29:17).
• Custodial Care: Even well-intended reformers struggled with overcrowding and underfunding; physical containment methods replaced with chemical restraint as sedatives (30:13–31:33).
• Path to Modern Psychiatry: By Bailey’s time, efforts shifted toward “treating” patients, but largely through heavy medication—not therapy.

4. The Birth of Deep Sleep Therapy (DST) (32:55–35:54)

• Premise: The theory: long periods of forced sleep could “reset” the brain for conditions like schizophrenia, mania, and insomnia.
• Methods: Extremely high doses of sedatives—chloral hydrate, amobarbital (street name “Blue Heavens”), and sodium thiopental—administered to induce comas lasting up to two weeks (37:06–39:00).
• Dangers:
  • Drugs were addictive, highly toxic, and caused severe withdrawal.
  • Risks included heart, lung failure, pneumonia, bedsores, and in many cases, death.
• Quote [Robert Evans, 37:47]:

  “Chloral hydrate is a real-ass drug... It’s also super addictive and causes lots of physical problems for patients, including heart and lung failure. So people who die pretty easily overdosing on this stuff.”

• Dark Humor & Relatability: Both hosts admit the idea of being sedated for weeks sounds momentarily appealing—before confronting its grim reality (39:00–41:39).

5. Early Studies: Shocking Results (43:44)

• Jacob Klaesi’s Experiment: Swiss psychiatrist’s initial study: 3 out of 26 patients died (12%), yet his methods inspired wider adoption in the 1950s–60s.
• Lack of Informed Consent: Patients weren’t told about risks; medical paternalism dominant (44:03–44:54).
• Quote [Gabe Dunn, 44:38]:

  "Not to victim blame, but I think you should ask every time you’re prescribed something, has this killed 12% of the people?"

6. Professional Condoning and Expansion

• Therapy Becomes Routine: Widely used for schizophrenia, depression, and insomnia. Some researchers kept patients out for mere hours; others extended to two weeks or more.
• Institutional Neglect: Overworked, understaffed hospitals cut corners, often leaving patients unconscious for dangerously long stretches without adequate care or hygiene (49:05).
• Unconscious Patients = Easier Profits: DST made it easier for doctors to “treat” (or abuse) with no patient resistance.

7. Ethical Breaches & Financial Grift (65:45–77:09)

• Bailey’s Ascent: After shadowing Dr. William Sargent in the UK—who advocated unconscious ECT—Bailey returned to Australia and set up his own deep sleep program (65:44).
• Professional Accolades & Immunity: Heroic reputation as a reformer and whistleblower protected him from suspicion—even as he exaggerated facility abuses for personal gain (70:25–71:54).
• Chelmsford Hospital:
  • Bailey became part-owner; financial arrangements incentivized keeping patients sedated for weeks (73:28–76:12).
  • Quote [Robert Evans, 74:46]:

    "Every new thing he can stick on—money in the bank."

• Committing Harm for Money: DST became not only a questionable therapy but the core of a predatory, for-profit enterprise. Patients and families faced staggering bills.

8. Outcomes and Legacy

• Sky-High Mortality:
  • DST was associated with deaths due to overdoses, pneumonia, blood clots, and withdrawal syndromes.
  • Many patients were not even suffering from severe psychiatric disorders.
• Culture of Silence: Peer acclaim and isolation of psychiatric practice allowed abuse and cover-ups for decades (68:39–70:23).
• Shocking Quote [Dr. William Sargent, 61:01]:

  "All sorts of treatment can be given while the patient is kept sleeping, including a variety of drugs and ECT, which together generally induce considerable memory loss... We may be seeing here a new, exciting beginning in psychiatry..."

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [10:17, Gabe Dunn]:
  "That's the problem... the dark humor of my whole thing is I'm like, oh, tell me more. What did he use that's so bad?"

• [14:42, Gabe Dunn]:
  "Yeah, that'll put a chip on your shoulder in medical school for sure."

• [37:47, Robert Evans]:
  "Chloral hydrate is a real-ass drug...super addictive...can fuck you up."

• [44:38, Gabe Dunn]:
  "I think you should ask every time you’re prescribed something, has this killed 12% of the people?"

• [58:22, Robert Evans]:
  "I probably would have at this point, at that point in time, if I’d been dealing with fucking war trauma or something. I could see myself being like, yeah, man, knock me the fuck out."

Key Timestamps

• 00:42: Gabe Dunn joins, expresses fan excitement.
• 06:47: Introduction to Dr. Harry Bailey and the origins of the episode.
• 11:29: Bailey’s family background and early financial hardship.
• 16:48: Bailey’s early medical achievements and awards.
• 27:23: History of Australian psychiatric care—“lunatic asylums.”
• 32:55: Introduction to deep sleep therapy as a treatment concept.
• 37:06: Chemical cocktails used in DST explained; inherent dangers.
• 43:44: Fatality rates in original DST studies; lack of consent.
• 49:05: Practical neglect—patients left unconscious for days.
• 61:01: Dr. Sargent’s textbook rationalizing hidden patient treatment under sedation.
• 65:45: Bailey returns to Australia inspired by DST; establishes research unit.
• 73:28: Bailey’s part-ownership and financial incentives at Chelmsford; systemic exploitation.
• 76:12: Families bankrupted by bills from unnecessary, deadly treatments.

Tone & Language

• Sharp, irreverent, and often darkly comic— hosts do not shy from dry jokes about benzos, medical ethics, and their own anxieties.
• Critical of institutional authority, especially the psychiatric establishment’s historic failures and capacity for self-delusion or profiteering.
• Sympathetic to patients/victims; clear that many accepted DST out of desperation, not informed choice.
• Conversational, modern, non-clinical, with pop-culture references and friendly banter that underlines the horror with humor.

Takeaways & Themes

• DST’s horror lies not just in its danger, but in the way institutional power and financial incentives enabled mass harm to desperate people.
• Medical fads and innovations, when untested and unchecked, can easily become deadly.
• Reputation as a “whistleblower” or “reformer” can be weaponized to shield far worse abuses.
• Underlying all: the tragic vulnerability of the mentally ill in a system that prioritizes profit and authority over ethical care.

End of Part One. The story of Harry Bailey—and the horrifying legacy of deep sleep therapy—continues in Part Two.

[Summary compiled in the spirit and tone of Behind the Bastards, accurately reflecting the episode’s structure, humor, and critical perspective. All quotes and timestamps are for reference within the episode as requested.]